Rāhina 28 o Kohitātea, Monday 28 January

The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa and Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) signalled the possibility of sector-wide industrial action before the Christmas holiday break but have come into the New Year tight-lipped about a Term 1 mega strike.

It was designed to let schools offer a variety of kinds of education and then let the “consumers” (students and their parents) choose between them. But in practice, under the 1989 Tomorrow’s Schools system, families have chosen based mainly on the wealth of their communities – their decile ratings.

In this increasingly globalized landscape, schools face significant challenges. Researchers have documented lower educational outcomes such as student achievement and graduation rates for immigrant students in the majority of countries around the world.

In response to these outcomes, more research is being devoted to understanding and supporting conditions for equitable learning. Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is one idea to support these conditions. CRT is concerned with teaching methods and practices that recognize the importance of including students’ cultural backgrounds in all aspects of learning.

A proposal from the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) to take over Telford from beleaguered Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre went to Education Minister Chris Hipkins on Friday, and will be considered in cabinet on Monday.

Voice-controlled artificial intelligence systems, and even robots, have become more common in our everyday lives; from Siri, Apple’s “intelligent personal assistant”, to WoeBot, the chatbot therapist, to Travelmate, the suitcase that uses GPS to stay close to your connected smartphone.

As they proliferate, how should we properly address, and relate, to these virtual beings?

Parents at a south Auckland school no longer have to worry about buying stationery or paying donations. Rowandale Primary School in Manurewa has scrapped its request for an annual donation and is providing free stationery for every student.

Principal Belinda Johnston knows of students that are without uniforms or regular meals. When the bell sounds for the start of the school year at south Auckland’s Anchorage Park School some of the chairs are likely to be empty, principal Belinda Johnston says.

It’s not that the decile three Pakuranga primary is struggling to fill its roll, rather that many parents will feel self-conscious about sending their kids to school hungry.

It’s that time of year: school’s country wide are opening their doors for a new year. It can come as a welcome relief to parents after the long summer break, but it can cause anxiety in kids. How does a parent cope with that?

Gwendoline Smith is a clinical psychologist, speaker, blogger and author. She also works closely with the Faculty of Education at the University of Auckland to provide guidance to school councillors.

Media releases

NZEI: Surveys* of teachers and principals who quit the profession last year show they left mainly due to a lack of work/life balance and burnout from high workload. The survey respondents included 169 primary and 201 secondary teachers and principals.

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This blog is New Zealand Council for Educational Research's media monitoring site. The purpose of this blog is to provide readers with a daily listing of all education related stories that appear in New Zealand’s media space. The news content, editorials, or items listed on these pages do not represent NZCER’s opinions in any shape or form.

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